(I want to know) if you can get to that?

Patkus – The Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo (EP)

The Gospel Book of Archbishop Ebbo is the improbably-named latest release from Philadelphia-based composer and multi-intrumentalist Mike Patkus, here simply credited under the mononym Patkus.

Ebbo is a three-song EP, but, mind you, two of those songs break the nine-minute mark. So it’s not as scant as you might think. These two nine-minuters, opener ‘Cunegonde’, and the closing title track, are suites, based upon the Picaresque syle of distinct, abrupt changes, so, each track is made up of an eclectic succession of short snippets ranging from mellow post-rock to lo-fi jazz, bookended on both tracks by reoccurring bouts of swirling, Frusciante (circa heroin addiction)-esque reversed feedback.

In contrast, middle child ‘Free Hyka’ is a single minimalist, droning soundscape underneath an improvised, effect-heavy lead guitar.

It’s something that needs to be listened to in full, though. What most differentiates Patkus from a lot of others in this approximate genre is that he’s not afraid to intermittently show off his jazz guitar chops. So what we have here is something much more melodic than some of the artists that would likely come to mind when someone says ‘instrumental post-rock’.